Bowling-alley ball-gutter.



PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

P. J. RIDDELL.

BOWLING ALLEY BALL G-UTTER.

APPLICATION FILED .APR.24,1905.

WITNESSES:

BALKEOOLLENDER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BOWLING-ALLEY BALL-GIUTTER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed April 24:, 1905. fierial No. 257,048.

To (ti-Z whom, it rim/y (JON/08777,:

Be it known that I, PARIS J. RmnnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing in. New York city, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Im rovemcnt in Bowling- Alley Ball-Gutters, oil: which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part thereof.

With reference to the construction of the ball-gutters of a regulation alloy the rules of the congress prescribing only a certain width for the gutter and a certain. descent of the pit end portion thereof it has been customary for a good while(until very lately) for alleybuilders to make the ball-gutters otherwise (as to the measurement, &c.) as prescribed by the congress concave in cross-sectional shape during the entire length of the gutter-'- i. a, from the players end to the extreme pit end. of the gutter. In view, however, of a certain known function or operation of this dishing or concave ball-gutter (which has been and is universallyknown as the cove gutter invented and patented by one IV. I-I. I/Viggins) conducive to the making of larger scores by the players than attainable with the use of the old-fashioned previously-used flat ball-gutters, the American Bowling Congress on or about Iiebruary 25, 1905, (at

its annual meeting at Milwaukee) passed or established a new regulation with reference to the construction of all ball-gutters, which requires them to have that pit end portion which is contiguous to the pin-platform of the alley-bed made flat-bottomed or polygonal in cross-sectional shape, after the fashion of the very old-fashioned ball-gutters, instead of after the fashion of the cove, which for some years prior to the present time had been almost universally used. As made prior to my invention, this flat-bottom portion of the ball-gutter has been constructed in about the same manner as gutters having flat bottoms throughout their whole length were built prior to the supplanting of them by the cove-that is to say, the portion of the gutter required since the new congress lawto be fl atbottomed has been made with a simple bottom board extending widthwise from the vertical side or edge of the bed to the vertical side or wall(nine inches distant from the bed) of the CliVlSiOl1-ShTiP or stringer-beam of the alley, the said bottom (in one or two pieces) being nailed down to the foundational stock of the alley structure and with. the'usual quarter-round fillets or moldingstrips nailed into each corner of the guttcr-- i. 0., each right angle formed by the junction of the horizontal gutter-bottom with the vertical sides of the walls, respectively, of the bed and divisioirstrip. In practice it has been found. that under this mode of construc tion these parts of the bottom and also the quarter-round molding-strips are often either split by the nailing-in process or subsequently to the building of the alley (without any splitting of these parts) become split, so that the nail-heads are exposed and inflict injury on the superficies of the (expensive) tenpinballs. Furthermore, it has been found that under this method of construction this 'llat bottomed portion of the ball-gutter does not possess the desired durability, but soon becomes structurally impaired and inoperative. I propose by my improvement to .rcmler this portion of the ball-gutter, as it now has to be made as to cross-sectional shape, more durable and desirable in every way, while at the same time making the whole alley structure better than heretofore so far as is concerned the pit end portion thereof.

To these ends and objects my invention may be said to consist, essentially, in a pit end portion ball-gutter construction in which the members of the flat bottom, the corneriilling, quarter-round molding-strips, the alley-bed edge, and the division-strip are all firmly and lastingly united to each other and the gutter-bottom to the foundation of the alley, and without any nailing together of any of the parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and as will be most par ticularly pointed out in the claims of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to practice my invention, I will proceed to more fully describe my improved construction, referring by letters to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and in which I have shown my invention carried out in the precise form in which I have so far practiced it.

In. the drawing I have shown in vertical cross-section my improved ball-gutter pit end portion.

A is part of the usual alley-bed, and B the division-strip or stringer-beam with the intermediate ball-gutter 0, made according to my invention.

I have made the drawing to a scale of threequarters the size ofaregulation alley andhave marked thereon the measurements of the fullsized working structure.

As clearly illustrated, the flat bottom of the gutter is composed of two boards or pieces 0 0, each about one and one-eighth of an inch in thickness and equal in width to one-half the width of the gutter-th e, one-half the distance between the edge of the bed A and the vertical face of the division-strip B. These bottom pieces 0 c are securely fastened down to the foundational timbers of the alleystructure at the vicinities of their meeting edges (and at points properly distant apart lengthwise of the gutter) by wood-screws, as clearly shown, the heads of which are sufficiently countersunk into the wooden stock of strips 0 c to permit the insertion within said stock of wooden covcring-disksf, which preferably are glued in place and which being finished off at their exposed surfaces flush with. the top surfaces of boards 0 0 do not in the least impair the perfectly plane and smooth top surface of the gutter-bottom.

D D are two cprarter-round molding-strips arranged, as usual, in the corners or angles formed by the junctions of the bottom boards 0 c with, respectively, the alley-bed edge and the division-strip but instead of being made as usual prior to my invention and fastened in place as previously each of these corner filling strips I) is made, as seen, with a downwardly-projceting tongue 0, that fits into a longitudinal groove in the bottom board 0 of the gutter and is securely fastened in place, one to the alley-bed A, and the other to the stringer-beam. B by wood-screws g, the heads of which screws are countersunk into the wood of strips D sufficiently to permit the perfect covering over of said heads with inserted and (preferably) glued in wooden filler-disks 2'. These quarter-round molding-strips D, tongued and grooved with the bottom board 0, are securely glued in position, and after the securement of the uni ted parts to the bed edge and division-strip, respectively, the result is a concrete bowlingalley-ball-gutter structure, which while it meets fully the requirements of the latest bowling congress law or regulation is made more durable and .in every way more desirable in actual practice than anything made in accordance with the present regulation prior to my invention.

In the improved construction shown and described there never can be any exposed or worked-loose heads of nails, (or other metallic fasteners,) which. operate to scratch and mar the surfaces of the balls rolling in the gutters, the corner molding-strips can never shrink away from or become in the least separated from either the horizontal (bottom board) or the vertical surfaces of the alley structure, and the concrete alley structure comprising the bed edge, the division-strip, and the intermediateball-gutterpieces is perfectly strong and durable.

Having n o w so fully described my improved construction that those skilled in the art can easily practice my invention, what I claim as new, and d esire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a bowling-alley, a flat-bottomed ballgutter portion composed of bottom boards securely fastened to the foundational portion of the alleystructure and corner filling-strips or moldings glued in place; the said bottom boards and filler-molding being permanently secured in place by means of wood-screws, with countersunk and wood-covered heads; all substantially as and for the purposes set forth. I

2. In a bowling-alley, the combination, with the alley-bed, and the division-strip, of a flatbottom ball gutter composed of bottom boards that are grooved longitudinally; and corner filling-strips that are tongued into the said grooves of said bottom boards; thcgutter parts being securely fastened together, and to the said bed and division-strip all as and for the purposes set forth.

In a bowlingalley the combination with the bed and division-strip of a flat-bottom ball-gutter composed of grooved bottom boards, and tongued corner i'illingstrips; the said tongued and grooved parts being securely glued together and all the parts fastened in place by wood-screws, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of April, 1905.

P. J. RIDDELL. In presence of- JOHN C. MCKENZIE, DANIEL F. DALY. 

